A Democratic Socialist Blog

ALP/ISO History

Eugene V Debs founded The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization in 1899.
The Socialist Party returned to independent action and experienced modest growth in the early 1930s behind presidential candidate Norman Thomas. After the 1920s, however, the Party’s appeal was weakened by the popularity of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Followers of Leon Trotsky and Jay Lovestone caused the traditional “Old Guard” to leave and form the Social Democratic Federation. While the party was always strongly anti-Fascist, as well as anti-Stalinist, the SP’s ambivalent attitude towards World War II cost it both internal and external support. Norman Thomas and his radical pacifist co-thinkers and their young Marxist allies of the Militant faction sought to build a mass political movement by transforming the Socialist Party into what they called an “all-inclusive party.” Not only would an appeal be made to the radical intellectuals and trade unionists who were the historic core of the organization, but an effort would be made to work closely with the Communist Party in joint actions, and to infuse the Socialist Party with the leading personnel of small radical oppositional organizations,
The all inclusive party didn’t work, as usual the Communists and Trots alienated the Social Democrats. The Old Guard became the American Labor Party. The American Labor Party was a political party in the United States established in 1936 which was active almost exclusively in the state of New York. The organization was founded by labor leaders and former members of the Socialist Party (SP) who had established themselves as the Social Democratic Federation (SDF). The party was intended to parallel the role of the British Labour Party, serving as an umbrella organization to unite New York social democrats of the SDF with trade unionists who would otherwise support candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties.
The New York Old Guard returned home to organize themselves as the Committee for the Preservation of the Socialist Party, raising funds, selecting a “Provisional Executive Committee,” building a mailing list, and maintaining an office in New York City. The Old Guard, headed by former New York State Assemblyman .
Former Republican Vito Marcantonio won election to the United States House of Representatives, representing East Harlem for the ALP in 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1946, and 1948, but lost in 1950. He had been the target of the New York Wilson Pakula Act in 1947 aimed at restricting candidates from one party running in another party’s primary election (electoral fusion. Leo Isacson was elected in early 1948 to fill a vacancy in in a Bronx district.
In 2008 the Communists and Trots in The Socialists Party USA convention alienated the Social Democrats. Many good people left the Party. The author tried to revive the old SPA, but fellows had left would not join. A Debsian Party was needed for America.
The ideological merger of SPA and ALP History made the ALP/ISO a Socialist Reformation Party of the SPA/ALP. Since Left Democracy had no appeal and Labor did. It has now gained a successful following for people embracing Democracy, and a Socialist International oriented party with our Sister Party, the New Democrats of Canada.
With the New Democrats of Canada, Party Of European Socialists, The victory of Francois Hollande, means socialism has a bright future and one day win again in the USA. Vitov Valdes Munoz ran for Congress garnering over 1,000 votes.